Casting Process Simulation of Compacted Graphite Iron

The use of Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) is expanding, especially into newly developed engine block castings. The successful introduction of this relatively new material to the casting designers requires the foundry engineers to provide detailed material property predictions and casting process knowledge. Based on casting trials with detailed microstructure analysis, a new simulation tool has been developed to predict shrinkage behavior and microstructure (i.e. nodularity), which are of importance to the mechanical properties of the casting. This paper will describe the development process of this new casting process simulation tool using comparisons of production castings to simulation results.